


Grades Pending

by Minky-way (Cardgamesonmotorcycles)



Category: DRAMAtical Murder - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, M/M, Prompt Fill, Tutoring, everyone falls in love with sei
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-19
Updated: 2015-10-19
Packaged: 2018-04-27 03:39:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5032345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cardgamesonmotorcycles/pseuds/Minky-way
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was such a cliche, turning the bad boy good, but he had to admit he'd always been a sap for bad plots</p>
            </blockquote>





	Grades Pending

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt Fill- Someone wrote that I’m cute in the bathroom stall and your notes match the handwriting

“Sei? Could I have a word please?” Miss. Saiko’s voice spoke up over the babble of students excited to go home for the day, and dark eyes met hers in surprise, nodding before going back to packing up his bag. He was already nervous, dread settling into his stomach because he must be in trouble, but he couldn’t think of anything he’d done wrong, unless she had some issues with his last essay, he supposed it hadn’t been his best.

His bag was organised and packed up quickly, pens in their correct compartments and books ordered neatly, homework planner tucked into the front flap and zipped up, swinging it over his shoulder to hang at his side and walking to stand by her desk.

“Don’t worry, you’re not in any trouble,” she seemed to read his nerves immediately, and that was one of the reasons he’d always liked her, relaxing instantly and offering a shaky smile, relief flooding him as she just smiled warmly. “I’d like to ask you a favour, but I’ll understand if you refuse.”

“Okay,” he nodded, because she’d asked him for favours before, usually tutoring other students or arranging some kind of pop quiz on an assignment the class had been previously set and he’d done particularly well on. “How can I help?”

“Well its tutoring again I’m afraid, and I would ask somebody else but I’m afraid in this situation nobody else will even consider it,” she looked almost harassed, one curl having flopped out of her usually immaculate bun and brushing her crumpled collar. “You’re my best student, Sei, but I’m afraid a lot of your classmates don’t share your work ethic.”

He smiled shyly at the praise but didn’t know what to say, she was being very evasive and it was making him nervous, because who could she possibly ask him to tutor that anybody else would flat up refuse?

“Like I said, I will understand completely if you refuse and you have every right to do that.” She was trying to reassure him, to instil in him that he didn’t have to do this, that she wouldn’t resent him if he refused. “It’s Sly Blue.”

His expression faltered immediately and she noticed, sighing sympathetically, “I know, it’s a lot to ask of you, but he’s failing and I just felt that maybe if somebody could spend time with him one on one, maybe he might improve a little. I just… I’d like him to pass at least one class.”

He understood, of course he did, Sly Blue was notorious in their school, and he had to admit he was actually surprised to learn they were supposed to be in the same class, certain he had never seen him there before even once. The one lesson he had attended was science, where he had set his assignment and textbook on fire, set off the alarms and caused the entire building to be evacuated, somehow managing to look completely casual as he lit a cigarette in the rapidly growing flames.

He swallowed thickly, because although Sly had never done anything to him directly, he still scared him, his fuck everything attitude and rough way of speaking made him nervous, and spending any time with him didn’t sound like his idea of fun.

“Um,” his words stopped short, because no, he absolutely did not want to tutor Sly, not even a little, but Miss. Saiko looked utterly exhausted and he wondered if maybe he should at least try, he’d done a good job with everybody else so far. “I mean, um, I could try? I suppose?”

She blinked, once, then several times more, shaking her head as if wondering if she was hearing things, “really?!”

“Yeah, I guess I could try, I don’t know if it’ll work though.” He didn’t like believing rumours about people, but Sly had so many he couldn’t help but believe that at least some of them must be true, just hoping this wouldn’t work out horribly.

“Sei you are an angel!” She announced suddenly, and for an alarming second Sei thought she was going to hug him, and it seemed she was taking a step forwards before restraining herself with a laugh, opening her drawer a second later. “Take a lollipop.”

He was going to comment that he wasn’t allowed artificial sugar, but she just shook the jar with a smile so wild it was almost manic, and he felt bad, taking one anyway, green coloured and no doubt apple flavoured, deciding he could just give it to Noiz.

“Okay, so can you do Monday and Wednesday nights?” She still looked concerned, maybe already doubting putting together her quietest and noisiest student in this way, evidently worried for Sei’s delicate disposition. But he nodded and she smiled, “alright, well all I’m asking is that you try, I know he’s difficult to get along with. I just… I hate to see somebody in so much pain, that’s all.”

He opened his mouth, forehead crinkled and about to ask what she meant by being in pain, because Sly always looked perfectly fine to him, rough and often bruised, but he didn’t seem to be hurt emotionally in any way as she was insinuating, but her eyes flicked to the clock and he knew it was useless.

“Goodness, you’ll be wanting to get home! Thank you so much, Sei, I’ll tell him on Monday and get something sorted out for the two of you. Have a lovely weekend.”

“Mm, you too, Miss. Saiko,” he nodded, smile more genuine now though still feeling concern in his stomach that rapidly grew into dread even as he met Aoba and Noiz, handing the German the lollipop absently and being remarkably out of the conversation the entire way home.

 

* * *

 

 

Monday came and there was a note from Miss. Saiko waiting for him in his locker, accompanied with another lollipop he immediately handed out, this time to Mizuki, who asked about the note and frowned when Sei just shrugged it off.

‘Sei, could you meet Sly in the library after school? Try your best but if it’s too much you can stop whenever you like. I owe you one! Miss.S’

“Sly as in… Sly Blue?” He asked, cola sweet in his mouth apparently not stopping him from nosily reading the note over Sei’s shoulder, the advantage of being a few inches taller, voice clearly showing his doubt that he had indeed read it wrong.

“Um, yeah, she asked me to tutor him,” he explained, not appreciating Mizuki’s look of downright alarm, staring at him as if he’d agreed to walk into the cage of a hungry lion, although he had to admit he did feel a little like that.

“Seriously?” His horrified expression did nothing to soothe Sei’s already fragile nerves, only making him squirm, note crinkling in his fingers. “By yourself? What if he does something?”

“Well, he’s never done anything to me before, I’ll be fine, Mizuki.”

He didn’t look at all certain, frowning and then pointing an almost stern finger at him that he really didn’t appreciate, “Hm, well I’ll stay in the gym after school, I want you to phone me if anything goes wrong, and meet me afterwards.”

He nodded, glad Mizuki was trying to take care of him as he always did, but feeling a little smothered and, bizarrely, a little offended on Sly’s behalf, because he hadn’t even done anything yet and Mizuki was already assuming the worst. “Okay, but I’ll be fine, Mizu. I just have to try, if I don’t want to do it I’ll just leave.”

“Okay,” he nodded, but he still sounded unhappy with the situation, pulling Sei’s head into his side in a bizarre half hug half headlock that made him frown as his hair promptly gained far more static than he would have liked it to have. He frowned as he shoved him off, elbowing him in the ribs and grinning as he winced, carefully fixing his hair and glaring as Mizuki imitated him sarcastically.

 

* * *

 

 

“You Sei?”

“Y-yes,” oh God his voice broke halfway through, making him sound a lot more terrified than he actually was, swallowing thickly and watching as Sly gave him a quick scan, mouth twisting into a sneer.

“Well don’t you look like fun…” He was obviously being sarcastic, taking in his immaculate uniform and neatly organised locker with obvious disdain, clearly not looking forward to the tutoring any more than Sei was. “Let me guess, straight A student, teacher’s pet, just doing a good deed?”

Sei could already feel Mizuki bristling from beside him, almost anticipating him speaking up on his behalf since the words were dying in his throat, wondering if he could give up without even trying.

“He doesn’t have to help you, you could try and be grateful,” he scowled, almost matching Sly’s glare but not quite able to, suddenly the recipient of his attitude, blue eyebrow raising as if to ask who the fuck he thought he was.

“I don’t do gratitude.”

“No, just people,” Mizuki muttered, knowing full well that Sly was a bit of a whore, and that was putting it nicely, he’d fuck basically anybody, and was known for it, watching his expression harden and wondering if maybe he’d gone too far.

“The fuck did you just say?” He hadn’t come here to start trouble, just to see if Sei was who he thought he was, and maybe to see how easy he would be to intimidate, pretty easy seemingly, but this asshole boyfriend of his was being a dick and he was not having that. People talked shit about him a lot but not usually to his face, this guy was either stupid as fuck, or actually cocky enough to think if they fought, that he’d win. He’d grabbed his shoulder immediately, spinning him round because like fuck was he going to say that then ignore him like he’d gotten away with it, meeting hard olive eyes and almost amazed because this guy was really fucking arrogant.

“Let go of him,” this was addressed to Sly, quite calmly, yellow eyes meeting large black, insistent enough that he let go, because he knew how to pick a fight and this wouldn’t be any fun. “And Mizuki, that wasn’t necessary,” for a second Mizuki almost thought he was going to be asked to apologise, but he just rolled his eyes and turned around, ignoring the asshole who’d already been treating Sei like shit.

“Whatever,” he grumbled, only dropping the argument to keep Sei happy, knowing already that he wasn’t happy with this situation, leaving Sei alone with Sly seemed like a recipe for disaster, and the last thing he wanted was for him to get hurt, emotionally or otherwise.

“Lucky for you your bitch is here, huh?” He mocked, because he was a big guy, but with a few words Sei had calmed him down and got him to drop it, he was under the thumb so much it was hilarious just how pathetic it was. “Anyway, I have better things to do than talk to losers, so…”

Sei literally had to keep his hand on Mizuki’s leg under the table to stop him standing up and no doubt starting a fight he might actually not win, knowing Sly’s fighting prowess was well known and not wanting anybody to get hurt over him. But the blue haired boy just sauntered of, knocking somebodies lunch tray out of their hands on the way out of the cafeteria and laughing even as angry cursing followed him out and an apple smashed on the floor behind him.

“Mizuki relax,” he urged, he wasn’t happy with the situation either, or with being called a bitch for that matter, but he knew it was just how Sly was, rough and harsh, he almost had the naive hope he could change him somehow. “He’ll get bored if I just don’t react, like any bully. I’ll be fine okay? Don’t start a fight because of me.”

He didn’t reply for a second, but then he nodded, throwing his fork down onto his half eaten plate of pasta moodily and sighing long through his nose. “Have my number typed in,” was his parting comment, hand lingering on his shoulder for a second, squeezing and attempting to reassure him that he probably wouldn’t die tonight, standing just as the bell rang.

 

* * *

 

 

“Hi,” he greeted nervously, hoping his voice wasn’t shaking as he took in the boy he’d be attempting to tutor, registering the bruising eye and the split in his lip that definitely hadn’t been there earlier, eyes darting away as hard yellow focused on him.

“Hey,” he replied, raising his eyebrows as if he was already sick of this, fidgeting as he pulled out a seat and practically threw himself into it, seemingly no more thrilled to be there than Sei was, pulling a packet of cigarettes out of his pocket before pausing, fingers tapping the box absently. “Let me guess, I can’t smoke in here either?”

Sei just shook his head, he was scared already, but all Sly had done was said hello and sat down, how was he meant to tutor him if he was too afraid to speak? He felt very judgemental and he didn’t much like it, watching as he scowled harshly and shoved the box back into his pocket, removing a pack of gum instead and shoving a piece into his mouth, staring at him expectantly.

“Are you gunna teach me this shit or not?”

“Oh um, yeah, do you have your copy of the book?” This was met with a pair of raised eyebrows and he felt his cheeks flush pink for some unknown reason, embarrassed already because he felt like a fool in front of his seemingly unaffected attitude. “It’s fine, we can use mine.”

“Cool,” he sniffed loudly, wiping his nose against the back of his hand and watching as Sei removed his book, in perfect condition, from his bag, two pens following, not the nice ones, he didn’t trust Sly with them, and an A4 notebook filled with neat notes. “What is it?”

“The- The book?” Sei asked, because surely he knew what subject they were reading and analysing for their coursework, at the very least he must know that, but he just stared at him expectantly. “It’s um, Greek myths and legends.”

“Right,” he nodded, but it was almost obvious he had no idea what he was agreeing to, shifting in his seat so his feet were up on the desk, taking in Sei’s look of disguised horror with distinct amusement. “What are they?”

If Sei had been a more dramatic person, he would have put his head on the desk and wailed, but as it was he just tried a weak smile and began to explain who the Greeks were, almost certain everything he was saying was news to Sly. But hey, at least he was listening.

 

* * *

 

 

Sei was more than mildly alarmed as he sat eating lunch the next day, waiting for his friends to arrive and eyes glued to the book in his free hand, when Sly suddenly dumped himself down opposite him.

“S-Sly,” and again he stammered, blaming the shock of his bag hitting the table with a thud over his actual presence, although he had to admit that both made him nervous. “What’s up?”

“I can’t come tonight, got stuff to do,” he explained absently, removing a rather squashed looking candy bar from his pocket and unwrapping it messily, biting into the chocolate in a way that made Sei’s OCD tendencies uncomfortable.

“Oh, um, okay, yeah that’s fine,” he wondered if he really couldn’t make it, or if he was just coming up with excuses to get out of something he wasn’t being forced into anyway, he had a feeling it was the latter. “Um, you want to do it now, or?”

There was a pause and yellow eyes blinked over at him, clearly surprised at his offer, having expected Sei would be relieved he no longer had to spend an evening with him, not that he’d instead give up his own lunch break to help. “Sure.”

 

* * *

 

 

He twitched a lot, like he struggled to stay still and Sei absently wondered if he’d ever been tested for ADHD as his eyes flickered from the page to the faces surrounding them for the millionth time since he began the page a good ten minutes ago. He had the feeling he wasn’t the best reader, often pausing on one word for a good couple seconds more than was usually necessary before moving on, fingers tracing under the words as he read slowly.

But he didn’t much mind, just continuing with his own book, knowing there wasn’t much he could do until Sly was done reading the couple of pages he had yet to finish, picking at his lunch with one hand and losing himself once more in the fantasy world of his current novel. But even Sly had to finish eventually and he returned his bookmark only slightly reluctantly, noticing with surprise Sly’s surprising willingness to cooperate today as he began to try and explain how religious imagery was combined with violence in an unusual way, knowing an essay written on that premise would do well. Sly wasn’t polite, he never was, expressing lack of understanding with more cursing than nervousness and trying to act like he wasn’t ashamed when Sei had to tell him what a certain character was or explain what a word he used meant.

He didn’t speak up much, and Sei soon set him another task, to go through the photocopies of the book and try to annotate them with notes he might want to use, or to at least highlight key items, pointing out some of his own as he covered the black and white with vivid yellow that matched his eyes.

“Your boyfriend won’t stop staring at us,” Sly remarked calmly, it was more amusing than anything, and he’d been deliberately sitting closer to Sei than was really necessary ever since he’d caught the olive eyes on them, leaning unnecessarily far across the table.

“Who?” Sei asked, utterly bemused because he didn’t have a boyfriend, turning to follow Sly’s gaze and landing on the glaring olive orbs of his best friend, whose burgundy eyebrows were furrowed. “Mizuki’s not my boyfriend.”

“He isn’t? Huh…” He looked surprised, frowning and offering Mizuki an almost flirty wave that he didn’t seem to enjoy, glaring at them intensely, though mainly at Sly, biting his beef jerky almost aggressively. “He wants to be though.”

“Don’t be silly, why would he want to be that?” He laughed the suggestion off, because he and Mizuki were just best friends, there was nothing romantic about it, not in his opinion anyway.

“Because you’re cute,” he spoke like it was obvious, like Sei was stupid for not realising how aesthetically pleasing he was, how he had sweet little dimples and that shy smile that matched his now furiously red cheeks. He poked a finger into his cheek and felt how warm it was under his finger, “see, cute.”

“Get off,” he swatted at his hand weakly, pouting grumpily because great, now he was embarrassed _and_ confused because Mizuki did _not_ want to be his boyfriend, why would he? “And don’t just assume I’m gay!”

“You’re not?” His eyebrow was raised, and Sei knew even as he busied himself stacking papers to try and hide his embarrassment that Sly knew full well he was gay as a rainbow unicorn.

“ _I_ am, but Mizuki might not be.”

“Well if he wants to fuck you he definitely is,” he enjoyed Sei’s changing expressions very much, watching as they cycled through alarm, embarrassment and finally anger, not expecting the pile of rolled up paper that whacked him over the head because that had actually hurt.

“That’s disgusting,” he frowned, the mere idea making him cringe both internally and externally, feeling his lip curl up in disgust because now there were images in his brain he’d never wanted to be there. Not to mention that some horrific part of his brain was actually wondering if there was any truth in Sly’s words, could Mizuki really like him like that? “And not true.”

“Whatever you say, loser.”

“I’ll hit you again,” he threatened, just as a shadow fell over them, making both of them look up at once, coming face to face with the very person they were discussing, burgundy eyebrow raised and making Sei panic for just a second.

“Why do you need to hit him again?” He asked, and Sei was incredibly relieved to realise he hadn’t heard Sly’s comments about him after all, just managing a casual shrug and a glare at Sly to keep his mouth shut.

“He just said something weird,” he smiled, pretending he wasn’t still horribly unnerved by the bluenettes words and making it seem like it had just been some big joke, like maybe he’d said something a little rude and deserved a quick whack. “No big deal.”

“Weird how?” He was glaring at Sly already, and though Sei knew it was fairly justified, some part of him felt unnerved just at the fact Mizuki had jumped to his defence so fast, as if Sly’s words might somehow be true.

Sei opened his mouth to make up a lie, although what it would have been he didn’t get chance to figure out, because Sly had already spoken and he felt his heart leap into his throat because oh shit that was exactly what he hadn’t wanted to happen. “Just telling him you love him.”

Mizuki blinked, then opened his mouth to speak, then sighed and blinked again, eyebrows furrowed and expression more confused than anything else, “well obviously, he is my best friend.”

It was almost as if Sly waited til Mizuki took a drink from the bottle in his hand before he continued, smile showing he was enjoying this far too much, “and how you want to fuck him.”

It was quite majestic, cola spraying from Mizuki’s mouth dramatically and running down his face even as he raised a hand to try and keep it in, choking on the liquid and coughing as his eyes widened in alarm because as if Sly had just fucking said that.

“I-“ He paused to cough, accepting the tissue Sei offered him silently, automatically, and wiping his face dry, cheeks pink under the eyes watching them and flushed with Sly’s words, “I want to _what?_ ”

“Fuck him,” Sly replied calmly, nodding as if he was imparting some key nugget of wisdom instead of making Sei turn hot all the way from his chest to the very tip of his head, cheeks no doubt vivid red.

“Right,” he nodded, worryingly composed as he took a clearing breath and coughed one last time, making sure his throat was clear of fizzy beverage as he fixed the two of them with an earnest expression. “Yeah, no, I don’t wanna do that.”

“Hm,” he looked only mildly disappointing, but his expression changed a second later as he shifted closer to Sei, “in that case maybe I will.”

This time they both hit him.

 

* * *

 

 

“Hey, Sei,” Noiz greeted, hand raised and offering a lazy smile as he came to lean against his locker, regarding his disturbingly perfectly laid out pencil case with a raised eyebrow. “How’d it go with Sly?”

Sei frowned, eyebrows furrowed because he thought nobody but Mizuki knew, but then Noiz was always able to know things he really shouldn’t, so he supposed it wasn’t too weird, or maybe Mizuki had told him. “Um, it wasn’t too bad actually. He’s quite… Rough, but I think it’ll be okay.”

“Hm,” it was the same noise Mizuki had made, not happy about it but willing to accept his decision because he was an adult, or near as damn it, and he could do whatever he wanted. “If you say so. Anyway, I have detention tonight, wanna walk home when you’re done?”

The offer was sweet, but the detention was not, and he fixed a scolding look on the German, taking in his freshly bandaged hand with suspicion, “have you been fighting again?”

His green eyes rolled and Sei did not like that, flicking his nose hard and making him cringe backwards in surprise, sighing because he knew Sei wouldn’t just let him go without explaining. “He started it.”

“That doesn’t mean you had to retaliate! What’ll happen if you fight somebody bigger than you?”

“Then I’ll get beaten up,” he shrugged and Sei opened his mouth to object but the bell chose just that opportune moment to ring, drowning out anything he might have said to scold him. “Just meet me later, kay?”

“Fine.”

Neither of them noticed the amused yellow eyes that watched them from around the corner, pretending to drink from the water fountain but really collecting more information for teasing, hoping he could get those pale cheeks to flush red again.

 

* * *

 

 

“So what are we doing today? ‘Cause I’m pretty fucking sick of this bullshit already,” he remarked, pulling a cigarette out of a blue box and promptly lighting it, Sei cringing because he hated smoking, always scolded Mizuki when he did it. Not that he could really say anything now, already aware he was in a bad mood and not wanting to make it worse by bitching about his bad habits.

He’d change the subject, yes, excellent idea, “um, I found a legend I think you’ll like, I thought maybe you could write about that one?”

Sly just stared at him, inhaling deeply from his cigarette and ignoring Sei as he shivered and wrapped his blazer tighter around him, wishing he hadn’t accidentally met up with Sly before their tutoring session. He should have just told him to meet him in the library instead of trying to be friendly and ending up freezing cold and with cigarette smoke seeping into his hair, a scent he knew would take more than one wash to fade.

“It’s um, Prometheus?” He honestly didn’t know why he’d hesitated, as if Sly was going to know who that was, shaking his head and continuing almost immediately, smoke swirling into his lungs and making him feel rather queasy. “He stole fire from the gods on Mount Olympus and gave it to man.”

Sly had turned to him with an expression equally deadpan and irritated, eyebrows raised disbelievingly, almost mockingly, “he stole fire?”

“Yeah.” He didn’t know what else to say, because he wouldn’t have said it if it wasn’t what happened, or was meant to have happened anyway.

“Of course he fucking did…” He muttered, not entirely getting the concept of a myth as not necessarily being true, wondering how the fuck he could have stolen fire other than literally walking down the mountain with a burning stick in his hand.

“Yeah, um, so Zeus punished him by chaining him to a rock,” now he was looking up, seeming at least a little interested as Sei thought he might be, continuing with growing confidence. “Every day a bird came and pecked out his liver, and then every night it grew back.”

“It did?” His interest had seeped through and Sei’s nod was almost enthusiastic, because he loved myths and legends, although he had to admit he usually preferred them to be less gory, but he’d caught Sly’s attention now.

“Mm-hm, because he was immortal. Um, and Heracles eventually rescued him years later.” He paused, because while the torture aspect might have interested him, the story was basically over after that. “So I thought maybe it would be easier for you to write on a myth you liked.”

He didn’t respond to his idea, waving it away and exhaling a thick stream of white smoke, looking for facts rather than ideas, “how many words do I have to write on this shit?”

“One thousand five hundred, um, so like a page and a half.” It wasn’t much, but then they did have to do two of them, that was news he should wait until he was in a better mood to break to him.

“So you’re okay with the Prometheus one?”

“It’s okay I guess,” he shrugged, but Sei knew he found it interesting, even if he wouldn’t enjoy writing the essay, but then who did enjoy doing that?

“Okay, but you do have to find something else to write on too, from anywhere you like. I thought maybe something from Dante’s Inferno might be good for you?”

“What’s that?” He picked up the book Sei slid his way, flicking through the pages rather carelessly and making Sei wince, worried for the book’s safety in his rather rough hands, watching his eyes linger on Dore’s illustrations.

“Well it’s from an epic poem called ‘The Divine Comedy’, but it’s just one section and it’s about somebodies journey through the nine circles of hell.”

“Hell has nine circles?” He asked, and he worded it as if Sei had just told him a legitimate fact, legs swinging where he perched on the table, because apparently he was utterly incapable of simply sitting on a chair.

“Well, Hell’s probably not real, but that was his interpretation of it. There’s limbo, lust, gluttony, greed, anger, heresy, violence, fraud, treachery, and then Satan is at the end of them all because he committed treachery against God.”

“What’d he do?” Sei still wasn’t entirely sure if he understood that everything he was saying was based in fiction, but he decided not to tell him again, if he wanted to believe it as fact then he’d let him, it wasn’t like it would really matter.

“Well according to the Bible he used to be God’s best angel, but he tried to take over and God threw him out of Heaven, then he just turned into the Devil.”

“Huh,” he nodded, seeming at least slightly interested in the story, presumably he didn’t attend many religious studies lessons, or indeed any lessons, yellow eyes glinting as he spoke, “Is it gory?”

“Um, not exactly, but the different circles have different punishments, maybe you could write about how both authors describe punishments and discuss the religious imagery in each one?”

Sly just blinked at him remarkably blankly, presumably having almost no idea what he was talking about, “how do you know all this shit?”

Sei was mildly annoyed at having some of his favourite texts described as ‘shit’, but he knew Sly didn’t mean it maliciously, just smiling softly and shrugging as if to say it was nothing amazing, “I just read a lot. Speaking of, you need to read that, or at least skim through it to see which circle you want to focus on, think you can manage?”

“Reading?” He raised an eyebrow, as if offended Sei would question his ability to do something as basic as read some fucking book, thinking he could always Wikipedia the summary if he couldn’t be bothered. “Yeah, I think I can manage that.”

“Okay, well there’s not much more we can do until you have so… I guess we’re done for today.”

“Finally,” he groaned, and if he’d been anyone else Sei would jokingly ask if his company was that terrible, but he wasn’t sure he’d want to hear Sly’s answer, beginning to pack his bag and trying not to smile at his sheer enthusiasm to leave. “So I have to read this for Wednesday?”

He looked downright horrified at the prospect, but it wasn’t the biggest book and he didn’t have to read it in any great detail, he could just speed read his way through it, and with two days he could surely have it done easily, Sei knew he could. “If you can.”

“Well won’t that be fun…” he grumbled, stuffing the book into his bag with so little care Sei almost scolded him, reminding himself at the last moment that Sly didn’t react well to criticism and forcing himself to hold his tongue. “See you Wednesday, loser.”

“Mm-hm, bye Sly,” whether ‘loser’ was a genuine insult or more a term of endearment, he genuinely didn’t know, but something of it reminded him of the way Mizuki called him nerd, tinged with both truth and affection. He continued packing his bag, trusting that the other had left already and almost jumping when he sensed a body right beside him, looking up and meeting Sly’s expression, strangely heavy and serious all of a sudden.

“Hell is real, we just don’t have to die to get there.”

Miss. Saiko had said she hated to see Sly in so much pain, and Sei hadn’t understood that until now, face creasing in understanding as he watched the blue haired boy walk off, shoulders rolled in defensively and head hanging low, as if trying to make himself invisible.

 

* * *

 

 

“He’s completely in love with you.”

“Excuse me?” Sei asked, glancing up from the essay he was proofreading and frowning, because they weren’t discussing this again were they? He was certain Mizuki didn’t love him, not like that anyway, and Sly’s constant insistence that he did was making their friendship at least a little awkward, uncomfortable silences falling between them that had never been there before.

“The German? Noiz?” He asked, watching as Sei’s expression twisted in disbelief, nodding as if it was really obvious and Sei was stupid to have not noticed, “Yeah, he’s in love with you.”

Sei sighed, ditching the red pen he’d been making neat corrections with and focusing his full attention onto the boy who lounged on the table in front of him, lying on the wood with little thought to how odd he looked. “Noiz is not in love with me, he’s just a friend.”

“A friend who’s in love with you.”

“Okay, okay, so you think Mizuki and Noiz are in love with me?” His voice was amused as he spoke, because even if one of them was in love with him, what were the chances of them both being? Unless Sly thought he was some kind of angel who could charm anybody, like one of the Sirens of the seven seas he’d written his own essay on, luring men in and tricking them into falling in love with him.

“No, I know they are,” his voice was firm, because it was obvious, painfully so, that they at least had a crush on him, and with what good friends they were it would make sense that they would eventually fall for him.

“How do you know?”

“I’ve seen the way they look at you, it doesn’t take an idiot to work out.” He shrugged, because anybody who bothered to watch the way they interacted could see that both Mizuki and Noiz adored Sei more than was normal for a friend, though he absently wondered if he could be judging what friendship was like.

“Okay, so say you’re right, what is it they do that makes you think they love me?” He wanted evidence for Sly’s words, proof he wasn’t just trying to torment him with this, because if he was he was taking it a bit far, and Sei was a little sick of accidentally analysing the actions of his two best friends.

“Oh I don’t know,” he’d rolled over onto his side, propping his blue haired head up with an arm and pretending to think hard, finger over his lips and expression twisted in deep thought. “How about the fact they both stay late to walk you home every time we do this? Or that Mizuki brings in cherry tomatoes every day just to give them to you because he doesn’t like them.”

Sei opened his mouth to retort, but Sly continued speaking and he was left to frown because he was right, they did do all those things and now they were spoken so bluntly he was beginning to wonder if maybe he was right about them being in love with him, it almost make him feel a little sick.

“Or that somebody was being mean about you in PE so Noiz beat them up and got detention? Or that Mizuki constantly watches you with that gross fond smile, Noiz too.” He stopped there, because surely that was enough for now, though he could think of a lot more, how Sei was the only person Noiz ever seemed to touch or smile around, how Mizuki touched him more than was necessary, guiding him through crowds

“Okay fine, so that’s true, but it doesn’t mean they’re in love with me! That’s just how you treat friends.”

“It’s really not,” he frowned, because Sei was so in denial and it was really stupid that he’d refuse to listen to reason, it was hardly like them loving him would make any difference, unless he loved them back, of course.

“Yes it is,” he insisted, not thinking through his words as he spoke and immediately regretting them, expression showing he realised how foolishly he had spoken. “Isn’t that how you act with your friends?”

His expression hardened instantly and the pitying look on Sei’s face didn’t help, scowling darkly and shifting suddenly to sit on the table’s edge, noticing the other boy flinch and only twisting his face up more. “I don’t have friends.”

“Sly, wait! I didn’t-“ But he was already standing up, shoving his things into his bag, essay only half corrected crumpled into the bottom among the empty wrappers and destroyed pens as he slung it over his shoulder.

“I’ll see you Monday.”

 

* * *

 

 

Monday’s lessons came and went too fast for Sei to feel anything but horribly anxious as he walked towards the library, knowing he had upset Sly but not sure how to fix it, knowing he would deny that his feelings had been hurt, that he even had any, were he to apologise. Not to mention that since they’d last spoken he’d been horribly aware of everything both Noiz and Mizuki did that could be even vaguely construed as being a sign of them seeing him as something more than a friend. Every time Mizuki had touched him, to pick a stray hair off his shoulder, or placed a hand on the small of his back as he led him through a crowded corridor, he noticed it tenfold, feeling himself tense up and not liking it because he’d never even registered it before. When Noiz teased him now he had the horrible feeling he was actually flirting, rendering him utterly unable to reply back as he used to and just stammering uselessly until the German placed a hand on his shoulder and asked if he was okay with so much concern he almost believed Sly.

To his surprise he was already there when he arrived, buried in the book of Greek myths and legends Sei had reluctantly lent him, pleased to see it looked in as good condition as it had been a week ago. He approached quietly and Sly didn’t stir as he sat down and took out his pencil case and notebook, arranging them neatly in front of him then sitting in uncomfortable silence until he worked out what he was going to say and cleared his throat.

“Sly?” He asked, and his voice was tentative, yellow eyes meeting his over the book and noncommittal noise leaving his throat, signifying he was listening, paperback being placed neatly on the table and eyebrow raising as he hesitated to speak. “I’m um, sorry, about Wednesday. I didn’t mean… I didn’t think before I spoke. So I’m sorry.”

Sly’s expression flickered for a second, something akin to pain washing over his face again and eyes remaining strangely vulnerable even as he schooled himself into an amused look, “you’re still worried about that? It’s not exactly your fault everybody hates me.”

“People don’t-“ He began, but the disbelievingly raised eyebrow he received rendered him silent, because most people did hate him, or at least strongly dislike him, he knew for a fact that Mizuki hated him, and Noiz was at least wary of him if nothing else. “Fine, so some people hate you, but I don’t.”

“Yeah well, you’re a weirdo,” but his tone had that teasing lilt that Noiz’s did sometimes and he suddenly registered with alarm that maybe Sly had been flirting with him too, laughing at how dense he was to himself.

“Thanks,” he remarked flatly, rolling his eyes and settling into his chair more comfortably, pulling a knee up to his chin. “I mean, we’re friends, right?” He wasn’t entirely sure he’d call them that, but they spoke a fair amount, and he had a feeling that he’d remain friendly with Sly even after this coursework was done, he was actually alright once you got past his rough shell. He was almost endearing sometimes, especially when he was embarrassed about getting something wrong or Sei praised him and his ears flushed pink, trying to pretend he wasn’t pouting as he grumbled and looked away.

“Do you want to be my friend?” He looked disbelieving, staring at Sei as if he was mad just to suggest such a thing, which to be honest he was.

“I don’t see why not, you’re not as horrible as everyone says,” he shrugged, reaching across the table for his essay, noticing it had been re-written neater than before and his alterations had been made, reading far smoother now and handwriting much more legible.

There was silence for a moment, Sly’s eyes just locked on him as he began neatly correcting his essay again, nodding with a pleased smile as he scanned through it, because Sly was an alright writer when he tried, not noticing the yellow orbs soften.

“Thanks,” his voice was softer than Sei had ever heard it and he looked up in surprise, the others face already obscured by his book and fingers drumming on the cover absently, frowning, because Sly didn’t need to thank him for the tutoring.

“Sure,” he shrugged, because not only had he not had much choice, but he honestly didn’t mind, not registering what Sly was really thanking him for until he was on the way home, Noiz at his side and internally slapping himself for not realising at the time.

 

* * *

 

 

“Sei, have you seen what’s written about you in the bathroom?”

He blinked, looking up from the book he’d been absorbed in, immediately growing concerned as Koujaku’s words sank in, though his almost amused expression meant he was slightly less worries. “Um, no, what does it say?”

“Nothing bad,” he reassured immediately, knowing Sei would immediately assume the worst, having been bullied before for being smaller and weaker than most other boys at their school. “You should go look, it’s in the cubicle on the left.”

“Um, alright,” he nodded, glancing at his watch and seeing there was only five minutes until lunch ended, smiling his thanks at Koujaku and putting his book carefully into his bag, making sure it wouldn’t get bashed or creased and deciding to take a quick detour to the toilets before he went to English. Koujaku hadn’t specified which toilets it was written in, but he knew that only the toilets in the art corridor had more than one cubicle, so he logically reasoned it must be them, thanking the boy who held the door open for him politely and stepping in. Luckily the left cubicle was empty and he could try and find whatever it was straight away, trusting Koujaku enough to know that it really wouldn’t be anything bad, but feeling nervous anyway.

The bathroom was empty so he didn’t bother shutting the cubicle door behind him, examining the pale blue plastic walls carefully, passing over doodles of smiling faces and the occasional rude comment about one of the girls in their year. Eyes picking out something written very near to the floor, in thin, almost scratchy letters, bending down so he could see and peering at it, wondering how on earth his friend had noticed this.

It took him a moment to tilt his head the right way, cheeks turning pink when he read the message and reaching out to run his fingers over it thoughtfully, trying to hide a smile but feeling utterly confused at the same time. Because there it was, printed scruffily in sharp letters, ‘Sei is cute.’

It was a remarkably simple thing to have written, and a damn sight nicer than the other things written in there and in the other cubicles, but he thought it was nice nonetheless, wondering who could have written it? Certain he recognised the messy handwriting, so could it have been one of his friends? Maybe Noiz or Mizuki, they’d called him cute more than once before, but to write it here, in a toilet cubicle seemed like a weird thing to do when they were perfectly willing to say it to his face, no matter what Sly said. He normally wouldn’t let himself entertain such a ridiculous thought as a secret admirer, but as he straightened up and left the bathroom, his small smile said that he was doing exactly that.

 

* * *

 

 

The tutoring continued as it had begun, interrupted by sudden smoking breaks or trips to the vending machine, essay apparently being worked on by the other but Sei seeing no sign of it after his final corrections, trying to help him the best he could when he didn’t seem to want to be helped anymore, somehow colder than ever. So when the day came to turn in the assignment and he took in the messy, crumpled pages of coursework Sly handed in he couldn’t help but flinch, feeling mildly guilty as he watched Miss. Saiko’s face droop slightly.

 

* * *

 

 

Sei was never too bothered about results day, knowing he’d have done well as always, no, it was Sly he wanted to find, hoping his help had at least secured him a pass, even if it wasn’t a grade Sei himself would be happy with. Finding him by the water fountain, crumpled pages in his fingers and frowning down at the sheet, heart sinking as he approached because he didn’t look happy so maybe it hadn’t gone well.

“Sly?” He asked, and the yellow eyes darted up to meet his, not quite managing a smile because his gaze was so intense it was unnerving. “How’d it go?”

“I… I got a C. I’ve never gotten a C before…” He sounded like he was in shock, and quite honestly Sei was too, eyes scanning over the paper Sly tilted his way, taking in the bright red pen marks, mainly ticks, which littered the page. Large ‘C’ grade resplendent in the top right corner along with a neatly written note from Miss. Saiko he couldn’t quite read, only able to make out the many exclamation marks on the end and the smiley face she’d drawn.

“How’s it feel?” He asked, knowing there was a broad grin on his face, his own usual A* fading into insignificance against Sly, who had passed not only with a C, but with a high C, only a few marks off a B.

“I… I don’t know. It’s… weird.”

“Hm, are you proud of yourself?” He knew he was, really damn proud actually, because even with his final corrections the essay would not have received a C, maybe a D at most, which meant Sly had been working on it alone, something he just couldn’t imagine.

“I’m not sure I know what that feels like,” he turned to face Sei and his expression was so genuinely confused that it was almost sad, because he didn’t know what it was like to feel proud, so maybe he never had been before.

“Sort of like a warm feeling in your chest? Like you’ve done something really good and you’re happy about it?” It was hard to describe, and as a perfect A student, often A*, pride lost its effect when every essay came out almost perfect. “You tried really hard right?”

Sly inclined his head to the side, eyes still focused on his assignment, gripped almost crushingly in his hand, taking in the red ‘C’ and the stupidly cheery face. But then he nodded, because yeah, he’d actually put some effort into this and he didn’t normally even bother, and holy shit it had worked, this work was his, his handwriting, his messy crossings out, he had done this, and he had passed.

“So do you think it was worth it?” He asked, because he certainly thought it was, sure it had been hard at times, and more than once he’d been a little scared, but now that he could see his expression like this, so open and actually pleased for the first time, it was all worth it.

“Mm, kinda,” he shrugged, because sure it felt good to have passed, and he was so amazed it still didn’t seem real, but he was very aware he could have been high a lot in the time he’d spent working on this. “Just thinking how stoned I can get now.”

Sei just stared at him for a second and Sly looked almost like he expected a scolding, then his face broke into a smile and he giggled and Sly just knew he was fucked because shit that was cute, managing a grin of his own as Sei covered his mouth with his hand politely.

“What?” He asked, because it wasn’t that funny, sure it might have been unexpected, but was it really that hilarious that he wanted to get stoned? Surely he deserved it now more than ever.

“Nothing, just… Nothing,” he shook his head, not quite sure why it was so funny, maybe because he’d gone from being the almost sweet person he could be and had shot straight back into his alter ego. Maybe because he’d looked at Sei like he was expecting a scolding when Sei was nothing but proud, and not even of himself, of Sly, for doing so well, better than he’d expected. He knew his tutoring would have had an effect on the quality of his work, but he knew that it had mostly been Sly, he hadn’t written it for him, it was all his own work and he deserved every single mark he’d gotten. He was so pleased he almost wanted to hug him, but he had the feeling that wouldn’t end well for him, and a black eye was not the reward he wanted for his help, so he restrained himself, just grinning as Sly’s ears turned that familiar shade of pink. “I’m really proud of you, you did great.”

He’d opened his mouth to respond, flush high on his cheeks and expression oddly open, looking like the child he really was for once instead of the tough guy he pretended to be, and Sei had to admit he was curious to hear what he was going to say.

“Oi, Sei!” A voice broke through the excited crowd, Mizuki appearing a second later with paper clutched in his hand and looking significantly pleased with himself, expression fading only minutely upon seeing Sly. “How’d you do, nerd?”

“Don’t call me that,” he didn’t sound upset at the nickname, but Sly noticed a flash of irritation in his face, as if this was something he was called often and never much enjoyed when he was, flapping his paper almost impatiently. “A*, but Sly got a C!”

His flippancy over his own grade wasn’t entirely a surprise to Sly, who knew already that Sei was one of the smartest kids in their year, passing everything with remarkable ease and always tutoring others, his grade would have come as no surprise. No, it was the excitement in his voice as he gestured to him, sharing his grade and seemingly very pleased with the surprise on his friends face as he turned to face him, olive eyes glancing down at the paper clutched in his hand.

“He did?” Something in that made Sei frown, and he nudged him in the ribs, entertainingly high pitched noise of pain leaving him as he darted away and Sly’s mouth twitching up into a smirk, because he was so smitten with Sei it oozed from every inch of him.

“You’re so rude, he’s right there, ask him yourself,” he was pouting, which was cute in itself, but he was also sticking up for Sly, refusing to let Mizuki avoid him when he was right there and as usual, wasn’t doing anything to earn his distrust.

“Sorry,” that was addressed at Sei, and no doubt he had an issue with that too, frowning and raising an expectant eyebrow as his friend turned to face him, six foot nothing and with an impressive tan. “You got a C?”

“Yeah,” he replied shortly, holding up his assignment so he could see it, so doubt not believing a word he was saying or assuming Sei had babied him through it, which wasn’t true. Instead he frowned and took the work from his hand, turning to Sei almost incredulously.

“He did better than me!” He examined the work as if searching for some hint that this whole thing was a joke, turning the page over so he could see the various ticks and corrections in neat red pen. “What the hell! Sei, you need to tutor me too.”

“Pfft, no,” he replied immediately, almost nastily and Sly blinked, because he thought Sei was softly spoken and polite, but now he was almost scoffing, face twisted. “You don’t need the help, you can get C’s by yourself.”

“But Sei-“ He began to object but he spoke over him again, seemingly in full control despite their difference in sizes, larger boy frowning but falling silent

“He did it all by himself too, I just proof read it, aren’t you going to congratulate him?”

“That’s not-“ Sly began, but Mizuki was already handing his work back, smiling almost ruefully and glancing at Sei, whose eyebrow was still raised expectantly.

“That’s pretty good man, I can’t believe you did better than me though…” Sly wanted to object to being called ‘man’, like they were friends, but he wasn’t entirely sure what to say, he almost wanted to taunt him for doing worse, but Sei was frowning and he didn’t much like that.

“How many days last week did you work?” He sounded chastising, hands on his hips and eyebrow raised insistently, Sly was almost sure that if that gaze turned his way he too wouldn’t be able to lie.

“Um, six. But if I don’t he’ll give the job to someone else and you _know_ this is what I wanna do,” he answered sheepishly but immediately grew insistent and almost seemed to be attempting to guilt trip Sei.

“I know, but you still need your grades to fall back on, what if it doesn’t work out and you have to get a real job? Nobody will hire you if you have bad exam results.”

“What job?” Sly asked, interrupting their little domestic incident with a frown, because not only did their school not allow them to have jobs, but he shouldn’t legally be allowed to work that much, not that he abided by the law himself.

“Um,” he looked almost suspicious for a second, presumably thinking there was something more than curiosity behind his question, which was innocent enough. “My uncle’s training me to be a tattooist.”

“Oh, that’s actually kinda cool…”

“Don’t encourage him!” Sei scolded, swatting at Sly half-heartedly and glaring once again,

“See, Sly’s got my back!” How the tables had turned, suddenly it was like Sly was Mizuki’s best friend and the whole thing was so false it made the short hairs on the nape of his neck bristle.

“I don’t want any part of you,” he remarked, and the amused grin Sei tried to hide was well worth the glare Mizuki shot him, clearly not enjoying his witty retort as much as Sei was, tone turning dismissive a second later and raising his eyebrows as if he was done tolerating them. “Anyway, as fun as talking to you losers was, I have to go get high.”

“Interesting method of celebration,” Mizuki muttered, though Sei knew he got stoned sometimes himself, wondering how people didn’t notice how hypocritical they nearly always were when they spoke to Sly. He just accepted the pat on the shoulder he gave him as he stalked off, crowd parting around him, knowing it was as close to a thank you as he would probably get and thinking that the smile on his face had been reward enough.

 

* * *

 

 

He didn’t see Sly for three days after that, and when he returned it was with a rather drastic black eye, purple bruising spreading all up one side of his face and turning yellow on his cheekbone. “Oi, loser.”

He sighed, all too used to replying to that nickname now, turning in his seat to regard the blue haired boy who approached, book in his hand and looking distinctly amused as Mizuki’s expression hardened, unconsciously shifting closer to his friend.

“Oh relax, I’m just returning his book, I’m not here to attack you.” He paused, smirking darkly even as he handed Sei the book, “unless you provoke me.”

“From what I’ve heard you wouldn’t need much provoking.”

Sly opened his mouth, expression harder because this was Noiz, that arrogant German bastard, smirking at him like he wasn’t even remotely scared of him, and his smugness pissed his off, stepping forward to wipe that asshole look off his face. Suddenly stopped by a hand round his wrist, not hard but firm enough that he looked down to meet Sei’s pissed off face, not sure if he objected to being grabbed like this, just shaking him free and scowling.

“That’s enough!” He sounded genuinely angry and Sly blinked in surprise, because Sei didn’t seem like the type to get angry, let alone show it. “He’s not doing anything, why do you have to be such assholes to him?”

“Sei, he-“ Mizuki tried to object, looking distinctly betrayed as Sei took Sly’s side instead of his and Noiz’s, and to be honest Sly was just as bemused as he was, watching the black haired boy pack up his bag and stand up from the table.

“No! He didn’t _do_ anything, it’s no wonder you think he’s horrible if you won’t even give him a chance!” He was pissed off now, because even he’d been wary of Sly at first, but he wasn’t what they thought, he was surprisingly observant and could read emotions instantly, he was funny when he wanted to be and his dark sense of humour was honestly unique. He was clever too, something nobody would associate with him, his comebacks were second to none and the way he bantered showed what a quick thinker he was, escaping with sharp words and clever retorts. “God, sometimes you’re such dicks.”

And with that final, damning statement, he stormed off, brushing past Sly and walking out of the dining hall, several pairs of eyes following him before flitting curiously back to his table where the three boys lingered, in differing states of confusion.

“What just happened?” Sly asked, utterly bemused, because Sei had just shouted at his friends, defended him when he hadn’t really needed defending, and not just for now, had shouted at them for all the times they’d been less than friendly and he felt so confused.

“I have no idea,” Mizuki remarked, and for once Sly thought they had something in common.

 

* * *

 

 

“Hey, loser, what you storm off for?” Not the nicest opening remark, but Sei seemed significantly irritated even as he perched in the window frame at the end of the empty corridor, seemingly aware there were no lessons down here and thinking he’d be undisturbed, at least til Sly came along.

“I’m sick of hearing them talk shit about you,” he frowned, swear word sounding wrong leaving his mouth and Sly just sliding into the space opposite him, looking out across the school fields to the town beyond. “They don’t even know you.”

“Yeah but nobody does, so,” he shrugged, trying to say that he didn’t mind, because he honestly didn’t, he was used to it by now.

“I do!” He insisted, eyes meeting his now and annoyance clear on his face. “You don’t deserve people judging you like that.”

He frowned, eyes downcast now, because he’d thought that himself a  couple of times, when people picked fights for no reason, black eye on his face proof enough that people would rather hurt him than get to know him. Looking up to examine Sei, not entirely sure if he was too good to be true, or if maybe Sly just wasn’t as horrible as he thought he was, thinking it was probably a combination of the two.

“Ah, I probably shouldn’t have yelled at them…” He mumbled a second later, more to himself than to Sly, though he shot him a sheepish look, seemingly ashamed of his earlier outburst now he’d had time to think it over. “Oh, whatever, they deserved it. Do you have your essay with you? I never got to read it.”

“Huh?” He was confused only for a moment, then he realised what he meant, searching through the mess of his bag to find the right piece of paper, carefully sandwiched inside his little used notepad, pulling it out and handing it over.

The second Sei saw it, something clicked and his expression changed, Sly left to wonder what the fuck was going on as he flipped through the pages without actually reading it, lowering it a second later and fixing him with a firm expression.

“It was you,” he remarked, words so vague Sly could do nothing but shake his head, gesturing that he had less than no idea what was going on right now, just frowning because what was him? “In the bathroom… You wrote on the wall.”

He blinked, digging out his cigarette rolling kit and beginning to pack a paper with tobacco, “I write on lots of walls.”

Sei sighed in frustration, digging into his pocket, Sly left to make a noise of surprise when he pulled out his coil, because they definitely were against school rules and he was amazed he’d dared to break them. “Look, I took a picture of it.”

Sly rolled his eyes, because he honestly had no idea what Sei was on about, unless he meant where he’d left his number and told people to call him for drugs, but surely he wouldn’t have taken a picture of that, it would be too weird. Feeling alarm set in as he took in the image on the screen, his own handwriting staring at him accusingly, raising an eyebrow as he took it in, feeling significantly pissed off with himself, because he’d done it on a whim, he hadn’t expected to get caught for fuck sakes.

 “I didn’t write that,” he objected, face twisted up as if to say what a ridiculous idea it was to even think he might have done so, turning back to the cigarette he was rolling a second later, ignoring Sei’s sound of disapproval as tobacco fell onto the pages of his book, which rested between them.

“It matches your handwriting,” he said softly, because he knew it was Sly, had from the moment he saw his notes, his writing was spiky and distinctive in a way he’d never seen anybody else’s be.

“Doesn’t mean I wrote it!” But his cheeks were a little pink and he was objecting so strongly that it must have been him, Sei just smiling because he was rather sweet when he let his guard down, ears turning red as he licked along

“I don’t mind, it’s sweet,” he reassured, because his embarrassment was sure proof he had written it, if he hadn’t he would have just laughed and remarked that it must have been either Noiz or Mizuki, his apparent secret admirers.

He was internally freaking out, because Sei was smiling at him almost fondly, with that soft look he’d seen on Mizuki and Noiz’s face when they regarded him so many times now, and he had the horrible feeling he understood now why they’d fallen for him. He was kind, and warm, and horribly accepting even of him, judgements falling away surprisingly fast as he tutored him and realised he wasn’t quite the asshole he seemed. He’d been patient with him when he’d gotten frustrated and angry and vented at him, spent his own time tutoring him for no reward, and even now was spending his time with him, not judging him for showing some kind of emotions towards him.

Ah shit, he liked him.

It was like his body acted by itself, one minute he was sat opposite him, tucking his freshly rolled cigarette away neatly, and the next he’d all but grabbed Sei’s chin and was kissing him because fuck it all he was _really_ cute.

It took him a second to react, eyes wide with surprise and alarm because Sly was suddenly a lot closer than was acceptable, shoving him away the minute his body caught up with his brain and trying to pretend he couldn’t taste him on his lips. “Sly what the hell!” He exclaimed, feeling his cheeks burn hot because that had come from nowhere and Jesus it wasn’t exactly the way he’d normally go about these sort of things.

“I just really wanted to kiss you,” he shrugged, tone uncaring but neck turning salmon, showing he did actually feel at least mildly embarrassed about this, implying maybe he wasn’t just messing around this time.

Sei’s sigh was a combination of flattered and embarrassed, because he was kinda cute when he wasn’t pretending to be some kind of cold hearted asshole, these glimpses of his personality were fascinating and he wanted to see more. “Well that’s… fine,” and he paused, because oh, it really was fine, slightly alarmed at how much he didn’t object to the idea of Sly kissing him and shaking his head as he got back on track, tone turning slightly more stern. “But don’t just grab me and shove your tongue in my mouth!”

He had the decency to look at least mildly sheepish and Sei had to admit he wasn’t as bothered by his sudden attack as he probably should have been, he just wasn’t sure he appreciated being suddenly jumped like that. He was sure if he thought about this later on he’d realise he was being a fucking idiot, but right now, looking across at Sly all he could feel was fond, because he was clumsy, and rough and bad at most things other people took for granted, but he was sweet too.

“But um, if you wanted to kiss me properly, I guess I wouldn’t mind..?” He could feel his cheeks heating up, because he’d never normally be this forward with somebody, but Sly wasn’t exactly a normal person, eyes already crinkling up in disbelief, no doubt thinking he was crazy.

“You’re really weird,” he murmured, but he was leaning in even as he did and Sei was smiling as their lips met and damn he was fucked, wasn’t he?


End file.
